The 76th Hunger Games
by Sophia Lele
Summary: After 30 years, a new ruler is in control over all of Panem. So, they bring back The Hunger Games. Thank you to those of you who submitted tributes!
1. Prologue

**A/N: Yay! This is my second story so I'm hoping its good….. And thank you so much to all of those who reviewed and made me tributes.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**I dedicate this chapter to Alania just because I still feel bad about 'making' her fall. **

_Prologue. _

Smoke. It fills the air around me, finds its way down my throbbing throat, and consumes me.

"Mother!" I call out into the thick grey and black.

"Corinthia!" I hear. As quickly as I can, I drop to the floor- like they taught us in school -and inch my way towards my mother's voice. The smoke is a little thinner down here, but it still smells like death. When I reach my mother's body, I realize the smoke isn't the cause of the smell of death.

My mother- normally breathtakingly beautiful in long flowing dresses and eyes blown up to the size of plums - looks like a monster. Her left leg is burned to the bone, her hands are black, and blood drips down out of her lips.

"Corinthia," she whispers and I clutch her hand, her skin burning mine. "Make her pay." Tears flood my eyes and spill down my cheeks like the waterfalls I saw on my trip to District 4.

"Mother, please don't die," I sob.

"Go, make her pay." With her last bit of energy, she takes off her locket and thrusts it into my lap.

"Mother please no!"

"Make Katniss and the rebels pay, Corinthia. Bring back The Games. Never look back." Her eyes close and I sob harder.

"No, please come back!" But she doesn't, and when I hear footsteps I get up and run towards where the door should be; the flames, smoke, and tears blurring my vision.

"Hey, we found a body," someone yells back from behind where my mother's body is. Slowly, I turn around -not following my mother's last request to never look back. I turn just in time to see my mother's body burst into flames.

_30 Years Later_

"Ladies and gentleman, I would like to thank you for coming out on this lovely morning to listen to what I have to say. Back 30 years ago when I was only seven, a group of rebels set fire to my house and killed my mother, just because we were related to former President Snow. Well, I am eager to let you know that I am now in control over all of Panem and all the rebels that were involved in killing my mother are now dead. That includes Katniss Everdeen. One of my mother's last wishes was to bring back The Hunger Games, and I am pleased to announce, the 76th Hunger Game is about to begin."

**A/N Yeah I know it is kind of confusing but it is just a prologue. If you are totally lost, basically after President Snow died, a group of rebels set fire to his daughters house, killing his daughter and scarring his granddaughter for life. So, she decided to gain rule and bring back the games. ****The actual Games will start soon. Thanks, please review! ~Sophia**


	2. Iceabelle, District 3, Arrival

**A/N Sorry it has taken so long for this chapter to come out! I have just been so busy trying to work out all the different stuff in this story…like trying to work out all the stuff about the tributes. Also, you know, school and stuff. So yeah…hope you enjoy!**

**I dedicate this chapter to Weeshar just because I can. :)**

Chapter 1

Iceabelle Bloom, District 3, 12 years old

"Iceabelle, can you hear me? Iceabelle? Iceabelle?" My eyes start to flutter open. I am laying in my bed with my little sister, Becka. She doesn't feel as warm as she normally does, maybe she is sick. I turn in her direction and reach my hand out to touch her. When my hand touches her, it springs back. That's not Becka, Becka doesn't have golden hair!

I jump out of bed and turn towards where I heard my mother's voice. She must know what's going on.

"Iceabelle, are you deaf? I have been calling your name for minutes!" That's not my mother's voice! I freeze as the person turns on the small light in the room.

"Who are you?" I ask, my heart racing faster than a runaway horse.

"Who I am does not matter," the person-who I can now tell is a lady, probably around 40 years old- says.

I want to tell her it does matter. What am I doing here? Where am I?

"All that matters is what you are extremely late for," the woman says, grabbing my wrist and dragging me towards a door on the far wall.

"What's going on?" I whimper, tears starting to spill down my cheeks. The woman rolls her eyes.

"Will you please shut your mouth? All will be revealed soon." She drags me along through hallway after hallway, making me more confused by the second. After a few minutes she stops at a door, grabs a key out of her pocket, and unlocks the door. "Go in and no talking."

The door shuts behind me before I can blink my eyes. When I look around me, I can see there is nothing in this room except a small carpet in the middle of the cement floor. I walk over to the carpet and as I am about to sit, I hear a loud booming voice coming from behind me.

"Greetings everyone! My name is Ms. Snow, your new president. I am here to tell you that if you are hearing this message right now, you have been chosen to compete in the 76th Hunger Games!"

Wait, what did she just say? The Hunger Games?

We have studied the Hunger Games in school. In fact, we had a whole week where we just watched recaps of each Hunger Games. It was very disturbing. Who could find entertainment in killing people? Don't they understand that they will never come back? Their families will never be able to hear their voice again? Suddenly I am very cold as I make a realization.

I am going to die.

**A/N Sorry this chapter is so short! I needed a bit more of an intro before I started getting into anything else. Please review! Hope to update again soon! ~Sophia**


	3. Alaina, District 12, Anyone I Want

**A/N: BAM! Chapter 2 is FINALLY here! *cues the clapping noises*. Yeah…sorry it took so long… I just got back from 2 trips so I haven't had much time to write. I will try to get the chapters out faster though... So, yeah, by the way, I don't own anything in The Hunger Games….that belongs to Suzanne Collins.**  
><strong>I dedicate this chapter to my team, The Nerds, for being awesome. I love you all!<strong>  
><strong>Enjoy!<strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 2, Alaina Thomsen, District 12 girl, 15 y.o<strong>

Things have moved so fast since the president announced that The Hunger Games are back. I have been rushed from one place to another as the day that will be my doom draws near. Yesterday, I overheard my guard (yes, apparently I need a guard) talking to someone about how there is only 2 days left until he is finally done with his job. That means 2 days left until The Games.

"Alright everybody gather around," a man says with a loud, booming, voice.

I am in what is called the training center. The people who are running The Games want to know what we are capable of, so they decided to bring us all together and let us train.

"Hurry up everybody we don't have all day," the man yells as he ushers us together. I look at each of my fellow tributes. Other than about three people, I am the shortest person here. Most of the guys are tall, muscular, and all around deadly, But suddenly I see a face I have seen so many times before.

Jason.

Jason is a year older than me and is my best friend's neighbor. I only see him from time to time, and it's not like I really know him. All I do know about him is that he grew up with a very abusive mom. Every once in a while, he would show up with school with a black eye. I don't know why I noticed him, but I did.

"District 12 are you listening to me?," the man barks. Oh, he means me.

"Yes sir," I mumble and everyone laughs nervously. "Alright everyone, get to work!"

My brain seems to want to find a station, but the rest of me is not ready to move, so when I step, I trip over my feet and fall. I expect to hit the ground, but I don't. My eyes open- I had them clenched shut -and I see that I am standing, and Jason is right next to me.

"Alania, is that you?"

"How do you know my name," I ask.

"You're friends with Zia," he says.

"You remember me?"

"How could I forget you?" he replies. "Zia and you were the ones that sat in her yard and sang till you lost your voice." I can't believe he remembers that.

Back when I was little, my best friend Zia and I would sit on the grass surrounding her house and sing. A lot of the time we weren't the only people outside, quite a few people would come out to listen. When I sang, I felt like all my other problems left and I could let the music trap me.

"Oh, well, thanks for remembering," I say weekly.

"Thank you for singing." We say nothing after that and eventually we both head separate ways to begin.

I start out at a station that teaches spear throwing. The man -who introduces himself as Kaden- running the station is tall and very well built, almost like he could snap me in half as easy as he could snap a tooth pick. He gives me a spear and shows me the basics of throwing.

I am not in any way an athletic person -unless you count being able to run, which I don't- but when I throw the spear, it hits directly in the middle.

"Whoa, where did THAT come from?" I ask out loud. Kaden smiles.

"You're not done yet, 12." He pulls the spear out of the target, hands it to me, and pushes me back a couple of yards.

"From _this_ far?" He laughs.

"That's not even half of what I can throw. Now go."

As soon as the clock hits four, we are all ushered out of training and sent back to are rooms in the higher floors of the training center.

My experience in the gym was all ups and downs. I did really well with the spears but I sucked at every other weapon. I actually made a dent in the floor from where I dropped my axe. Next they put me on a running machine they called a treadmill. Apparently I did well with my running. But, when I stepped  
>off the treadmill I fell, loosing all the attention I had gained.<p>

My mind is so clouded with thoughts that I don't notice when a young woman walks in my room.

"Hello Alaina," she says and I jump. "I'm sorry for scaring you, I'm Tara." She sticks out her hand for me to shake so I do.

Tara looks almost normal. She has light brown skin, large blue eyes, jet black hair, and is just a little bit taller than me. The only reason she stands out is that the bangs of her hair are light purple. She doesn't actually look much older than me and I find myself wondering what her life story is. After we finish introducing ourselves, she sits on the corner of my bed and motions for me to do the same. We are both quiet for a moment and it is all I can do not to fidget.

"So," I start awkwardly, "why are you here?" A hint of happiness flashes though her eyes.

"I have designed your dress for tonight's interviews," she explains. "But I also am suppose to help you for prepare for the interviews."

"Well, what type of interview is it going to be?"

"Whatever you make it," she says almost mysteriously. "Think about it Alaina, they don't know who you actually are." We both sit and think about what she has just said. They don't know who I am, they don't know me. I can be anyone I want to be.

"So, you're saying I could lie?" I question slowly. All she does is nod. I can lie. I can be anyone I want to be. If I want to be a killer, I can be a killer. If I want to be a suck-up, I can be a suck-up. If I want to be someone else, I can be anyone else.

I think I know who I want to be.

**A/N Please review and I will try to get chapters out faster! (p.s. I'm sorry this chapter is so short, the next one will be a lot longer.)**

**-Sophia**


	4. Zack, District 10, Interviews

**A/N Here is chapter 3!**

**I dedicate this chapter to my brother because I finally got him hooked onto Hunger Games.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3, Zack Gregory, District 10 boy<strong>

"Ladies and gentleman please be seated. The interviews are about to begin." Oh great. I don't get why they make us do interviews, it's just plain stupid.

"Alright everyone gather around," a woman behind the stage says. We all obey and I can't help laughing because we look like we should be going to a circus. I mean seriously, the girl from my district named Rocky is wearing a dress made out of rocks. That's pathetic.

"I have the order of interviews so if you could all line up according to your districts," she says quickly. Honestly, does that lady ever take the time to breathe? Despite how stupid she sounded, we all fall into line- the girl tribute then the boy. In the end the line looks like this-

Kalla Rinn

Rocket East

Lillian Rosewood

Aidan Vec

Iceabell Bloom

Ettubri Neem

Kat Morre

Axel Blaze

Ash Fran

Skylar Fernandez

Ellie Farrow

Ben Kaller

Cara Flar

Derek Matthews

Harper Sebastion

Ken Jackson

Gracie Pearl

Liam Charleston

Rocky Brea

Me (Zack Gregory)

Keri Alts

Matt Steen

Alaina Thomsen

Jason Smith

Lexie Deen

and Edric Haller.

"Alright everyone get on stage!" We all fall silently to our seats as the lights in the audience begin to dim. A man walks on state and the crowd goes wild.

"Welcome everyone! My name is Roman Dell and I will be conducting the interviews for you all tonight." Another loud cheer erupts throughout the crowd and I roll my eyes. This is going to be a long night.

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><p>"So Zack, what is it like knowing that you get to be a part of the 1st Hunger Games in almost 30 years?" Roman asks me.<p>

"I didn't know it was that important," I reply. He laughs and I sigh. He tries way too hard.

"You don't seem too excited." I decide to change the subject.

"So what has it been like for you to come and work at the Capitol?" I ask him.

"Oh it has been wonderful." I tune him out but he doesn't notice and he just keeps talking. I'm telling you, these Capitol people are insane.

Before I know it, the buzzer is going off signaling that my time is up and I finally get to go away from that man.

Three interviews later, a girl named Alaina Thomsen walks up. I saw her in training, and she was the only other person in training besides me that could really throw a spear.

"Hello Alaina," Roman says happly.

"Roman."

"So what is your opinion about the Games coming back?" he asks her.

"I think it's a wonder thing. We all need a bit of blood and gore to awake us from our dreams," she replies. Suck up.

"Well that's the spirit! Tell me, what has been your favorite part of the Capitol?"

"That's hard to answer, I love the Capitol. It's what binds us and keeps us going. It's our light in a storm." The crowd is eating her up. Can't they see that behind her short, purple, sequenced dress and her pleasing comments that she is just a scared little girl going into her death? I mean seriously, she can't be taller than five foot two.

"With such a great spirit, you must have someone special back home."

"That's a secret," she says mysteriously. Then she winks, she WINKS!

"Come on, you can tell us," he urges.

"Well, let's just say he doesn't like being in the spotlight. So to make him happy, I won't expose him." Kill me now she just blew kisses towards the camera.

I am beyond happy when her buzzer finally goes off and she walks back to her seat. Just three more interviews to go.

The boy from District 12 seems out of it during his interview and I can tell his mind is in space. But then Roman mentions Alaina and I see something in his eyes. Oh god, he likes her! You have got to be kidding me! By the time the interviews are over, I feel about ready to barf.

Actually, I feel ready to kill.

**A/N Alaina...I just added one more person to the small list of people that hate you. Please review!**

**~Sophia :)**


	5. Ellie, District 6, Meeting

**A/N ****:) ****Happy ****late ****turkey ****day!**

**I ****dedicate ****this ****chapter ****to ****my ****cousins.**

**Chapter****4**

**Ellie ****Farrow,****15 ****y.o, ****District ****6**

I wake with a feeling of dread. The air feels heavy and deadly. Today is the last day before I enter into the arena, the last day before the Games.

Slowly, I sit up and stretch my tired muscles. My body feels week and slow -like it use to after I would take my younger siblings for a walk around town - and it takes every bit of strength not to shut out the world and crawl back into my warm bed. Well, it isn't my bed.

At training yesterday, I discovered I have incredible aim, whether it's with an axe, bow, spear, it doesn't matter. With a weapon in my hands, I could kill every last one of my competitors. Their blood could stain my hands. It's not like my goal is to kill everyone I meet, but if it comes down to that then yes, I will kill. I would do anything to give money to my siblings. It's not like I'm the only one that would kill though, I bet half of us will be dead by tomorrow. Well isn't that a pleasant thought.

I honestly don't think the Capitol people get it. We don't just get 'eliminated' or something, we get killed. Suddenly I wish all them dead. What's wrong with me?

Before I can fill my head with anymore morbid thoughts, I get up put on a plain shirt, a pair of pants, and some shoes. After that, I take out one of the many combs available to me and comb through my stick straight black hair. I love my hair, my mom helped me add blue accents to it. My stomach churns. I can't even remember the last time I saw my mom. She died giving birth to Brooke, my youngest sister.

"All tributes' presence are requested in the gathering room," a voice blares from above me. I sigh and look at my reflection in the mirror. My normally warm brown eyes don't look so warm anymore, they look confused, tired, sad. Oh well, here we go.

I leave my room and head to the elevator. The hallway is lit dimly and it has an eerie quality to it that I don't like. Practically every kid that has walked down this hallways has been murdered, murdered for people's entertainment.

I'm going to be one of those murders.

The elevator ride brings out my inner child and I feel like I have switched places with one of my younger siblings. It feels like I am flying. I wonder what it would be like to be a bird, be able to flap my wings and fly into the air, soaring high above everything and everyone. My thoughts are interrupted as the elevator door dings.

I'm not the only one down in the gathering room so far, there are probably at least fifteen other tributes down there and they all look as confused as I feel.

We all wait for five minutes, ten, thirty, one hour, and nothing happens. Some of the others try to take the elevators back, but they won't budge. They probably want us to talk to each other. Fine.

I look around and lock eyes with a girl. She doesn't look away so I decide to walk over and introduce myself.

"Ellie, District 6."

"Kalla, District 1." Kalla has feathery white blond hair, sparkly green eyes, and skin that resembles milk. We both say nothing and we awkwardly look around. "I shouldn't be here," she says finally, "my sister should be. She deserves it." I look at her in shock. What?

"What?"

"I don't trust her. She is perfect. Perfect boyfriend, perfect grades, perfect everything. She says I'm pretty and she says this and that but she is lying, she doesn't care about me. She should be dead." I stare at her in disbelief.

"Kalla, you need to find someone to trust, someone to care about." She laughs.

"Leave District 6, you don't know anything." So I do. I go back to my seat and try to wipe my face from any emotion.

"Ben," someone says from behind me. I spin around and see Ben Kaller, a boy 3 years older than me. I don't really know him, he just went to my school.

"Hi."

"You're Ellie."

"Yeah." Neither of us talk and eventually I get up and walk over to a girl who is sitting alone. I don't know why I am talking to so many different people, but I guess I can't help it. I can't stand being alone.

"I like your necklace," I say. She looks up, smiles, and looks down to her token.

"The heart is from my mom, she placed it in my hands before the Capitol people took her and killed her," she says.

"My god," I whisper.

"Yeah well that's what you get when you had a parent that worked for the rebellion."

"My mom died when I was little and I almost never see my dad."

"I live in an orphanage. The boy from my district, Jason, he lived next to my best friend Zia. She's the one that gave me this." She points to a silver music note on her necklace and then smiles.

"I'm Alaina."

"Ellie."

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><p>I can't sleep a wink, I know nothing about what is going to happen tomorrow except for the fact that Alaina has agreed to ally with me. That's good, I need an ally.<p>

The morning comes before I know it and a nurse comes in my room.

"Ellie, I need you to stay still," she says slowly. Wait, what? Before I can say anything, she grabs my arm, jams something into it, and I black out.

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><p>I awake to the sharp bite of the wind on my nose. Quickly, I stand up and look around. Where am I? I look down and see that I am dressed in a pair of black running shoes, brown pants, and a blue tank. No wonder I am freezing. Suddenly I realise I am standing on a medal plate.<p>

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the 76th Hunger Games begin!"

**A/N****Please ****rate ****and ****review ****it ****makes ****me ****feel ****so ****happy ****to ****hear ****what ****you ****guys ****think.**** Thanks!**

**~Sophia**


	6. Kalla, District 1, Let the Games Begin

**A/N Happy Hunger Games! I so happy I finally got this posted for you all to read and I hope you like it!**

**I dedicate this chapter Diana Woods because she always reads what I write and she has an amazing story.**

**Kalla Rinn, 13 y.o, District 1**

When the gong sounds, I race to the Cornucopia. There is no way I wouldn't go in for a fight with so many beautiful weapons just waiting for me. I'm the first one to reach the middle of the horn, which allows me to pick out of the best weapons. I wish I had more time, but I can tell people are coming so I quickly pull out a sword, stick it in one of my belt loops, and grab a knife. By that time, someone is right behind me.

I spin around and I'm about to let my knife fly when I see who the person is. It's the girl from District two: Lillian Rosewood. She too has a knife and I can tell that she is probably much better at using it than I am. Thinking quickly, I spit out the first thing that comes to my mind.

"Can I join your alliance?" She starts to run to behind the Cornucopia and I follow her. "Is that a yes?" I call out. Once we reach a point where no one is following us, she turns towards me and nods.

"Welcome to the team. Try not to get killed on the first day." I don't have time to respond because she runs back out to the front of the Cornucopia. I don't think I could do much damage from down here so I climb the Cornucopia till I'm at the top which isn't easy because it feels like ice.

"Wow," I whisper to myself. Below me is a murder scene. Some people are fighting, some people are chasing, and some people lie dead. But then I smile to myself. Lillian is talking to one of the bigger and taller guys which means I must be allied with them. That also means that if I don't do my part, they could kill me.

I walk to the edge and look down. There is a spear on the top of the pile and I grab it. I don't think I'm going to have to use it when I spot the weakling from District three: Iceabelle. What better way to show that Lillian made the right choice by allying with me than to kill somebody. Before I can think anymore, I throw the spear. It cuts through the air and sticks itself in her left arm. She screams out in pain and pulls it out. It wasn't the death blow I had been hoping for, but at least it was something.

For the next few minutes, I watch the battle from high above the others. I know I should be feeling bad that I hurt someone, but instead I feel great knowing that my sister will have to watch that on the television tonight and know that I'm not the weakling she thought I always was. There is no doubt in my mind that she would have been dead by now. Oh yeah, she would have been dead within the first few minutes.

After awhile, I decide to climb down and see if there is anything warm I can put on. I doubt it is even 40 degrees. Once down, I walk to the front and start to look. Eventually I find a dark blue sweatshirt and I put it on. Never in my life have I been more happy to see something this hideous.

Suddenly, I'm knocked to the ground from behind. My face slams into the dry dirt and my nose starts to bleed. I start to scream and try to break free of the person on top of me. As much as I try, I can't get free. The person flips me over so I am facing them and my breathing stops. A boy I have never scene holds me down. He is large and is holding a trident in his right hand.

This is it.

I close my eyes and prepare myself for the pain that is sure to follow when I hear someone yelling from a distance. My eyes open and I can see Lillian running towards us.

"What are you doing Axel?" she screams, pulling him off of me.

"Trying to make it easier for us to win," he replies. His voice is deep and has no emotion.

"She's on our side!" Axel looks down and me and laughs. Without another word he walks away, leaving me with Lillian. She grabs my hand and helps me to my feet.

"Thanks," I say, wiping the blood from my nose.

"No problem. You should probably come with me to get water though, just to be safe." I nod and we head towards where my plate is. Behind it there is a long, fast moving river that must be where we are going to be getting our water from.

When we reach the water, Lillian hands me two canteens and I fill the first one with water. Just as I am about to fill the second one, I notice the patch of berries to my right. I stand up and walk over to see if they are edible. They are a dark purple that I notice from back home. I smile and grab a few. These berries are poisonous.

I squish some of the berries in my fingers and let the juice drip into the canteen. Once I'm satisfied with the amount, I fill the rest of the canteen with water and head back to the others.

The fighting at the Cornucopia has stopped and everyone looks exhausted. Lillian is busy passing out water to everyone so I don't bother her before I go forward with my plan.

"Here," I say, handing the poisonous water to Axel. He grabs it out of my hands and starts to drink. After a few sips his expression changes as he realises what just happened.

"You son of a-" He never gets to finish.

His cannon fires and he falls to the ground.

"What just happened?" One of the big guys yells as his eyes look over everyone. His eyes lock on mine and I suddenly notice I have a grin on my face. "Did you just kill him?"

"Oh god Kalla you didn't." Lillian says softly.

Before I even have the chance to defend myself, the boy starts to run towards me. I sprint in the opposite direction, sudden tears spilling down my cheeks. This can't be how it ends.

The boy is on me in less than a minute. He pins me down- his large body crushing mine. Tears continue to fall out of my eyes. I don't think he notices.

The knife hits my throat.

As the life leaves my body, one face floats past my eyes: Ellie, who had told me to trust something, anything or anyone. For the first time in my life, I wish I had someone to trust.

But it's to late for that now.

"You were right, Ellie, you were right."

My cannon fires.

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><p><strong>AN I hope you like it because I'm writing with a cold which isn't that smart of an idea. Please review!**

**~Sophia**


	7. Skylar, District 5, Day One

Chapter 6

**A/N Another chapter down! (Yeah, I was in a play to I had rehearsal every day after school so I honestly had no time for anything but homework…sorry about the delay :/)**

**I dedicate this chapter to Bill and Fred, for being the best lower buddies I could ask for and for rocking those suspenders :D No matter what anyone said, I thought they were adorable ;D**

**(:-}D)-l- Just for you Haley **

**Chapter 6, Skylar Fernandez, 18 y.o, District 5**

The sound of the anthem blaring in the air wakes me from my sleep. I sit up, confused. Where am I? What am I doing with my face in the sand? I look down at my hands. They are caked with dry blood. Is it mine? I can't remember.

As the faces start to appear in the sky, I run my hands through my sandy hair, trying to figure out what I'm going to do.

Kalla Rinn, District 1

Axel Blaze, District 4

Derek Matthews, District 7

Harper Sebastion, District 8

Rocky Brea, District 10

Keri Alts, District 11

Matt Steen, District 11

The sky holds the boy from District 11's face for a few moments. Then the symbol flashes in the sky and the boy fades away. Why is his face implanted in my mind? I look down at my arms and see the scars that run up and down them.

Then I remember.

_I stumble through the tall grass, pushing it out of my way as I try to get far away from the fighting. I have to make it home for Courtney. She means the world to me and I don't want her to see me suffer._

_My backpack feels like it weights ten more pounds than it did half an hour ago. I can't keep walking forever. The backpack slides off my shoulders and I sink to the ground. Lucky for me the bag is camouflage colored and seems strong and sturdy. I take a moment to catch my breath and then I unzipper each of the sections._

_The first and largest pouch holds three things: a ball of rope, a small ridged knife, and a box of matches. The other two pouches hold nothing. I put the rope and matches back in the bag but I keep the knife in my belt loop. My family might not be supporters of the Hunger Games, but they still taught me how to work with knives. _

_That's how I met Courtney. Her parents owned the butcher shop in town until the mayor claimed it was a waste of time and money. Before it closed though, my father would take me there and we would borrow a few of her father's knives to train. No one else knew that we did this but Courtney and her father and because her father was friends with my father, she learned quickly to keep her mouth shut. And even though she didn't admit it, she loved to watch me practice. She denied it every time I brought it up, but I knew the truth._

_We became best friends after that. Everything we did, we did together. After a few years, I finally told her how I felt about her and we had been dating ever since. Then her brother died. It was sudden, no one saw it coming. He was only ten when he died. After the funeral, Courtney shut down. In fact, she didn't talk to me again until a few days before I was taken for the Games._

_I'm brought back into reality when I hear the screaming start. I bolt up and whirl around, trying to figure out the source. Suddenly District 12 girl smacks into me and we both fall. She looks at me with eyes wide in fear. Blood runs down her arms and legs, creating patterns as it falls. Before I have time to react, she gets up and sprints away, the grass making a path in the direction she fled. Was she the one screaming? I don't have time to find out._

_My feet start to move faster than the rest of my body and before I know it I'm on the ground again. I try to stand up, but something holds my arms and legs to the ground. It feels as if someone took the rope from my bag and tied me to the ground with knots that only a professional could make. My head moves from side to side, trying to figure out what is holding me down. I can feel my heart beat all throughout my body. I'm going to die. Another scream rings through the air and I have the urge to scream back._

_The tall grass is the thing that is holding me down. How stupid of me to think that a large field like this wouldn't be trapped. _

_My knife is only a few inches away from my mouth. I stretch out my neck and try to grasp the knife between my teeth. My mouth clamps down hard and I jerk my head back. I don't have much time.  
>Suddenly the grass tightens and I understand why District 12 was bleeding so bad. I feel the spikes come out of the grass, not one by one, but all at the same time. The scream escapes my lips before I even have to time to think. I have never felt pain like this before, not even when my younger sister stabbed me with a knife when she was three. No, this feels like someone is repeatedly stabbing me with small daggers all over my arms and legs. <em>

_I quickly grab the knife with my teeth again and I throw my head to the ground, piercing the roots of the grass with the knife. The grass screams and my arms are freed. I push the dead grass off and use the knife to cut my legs free. Within seconds I am up and sprinting in the opposite direction of 12. The grass tries to cling to me and I whip my arms around, trying to stay free._

_I don't stop running until I am safely out of the grass and when I do, I double over and throw up the food I ate last night-the night before the Games. My body feels tight and exhausted and there is a sickening after taste stuck in my mouth. I straighten myself out and look around. _

_I am standing on a beach with water to my right. As quickly as I can, I hurry over to the water and sink to my knees in it. The waves lap into my mouth and I spit it out: salt water. Immediately I feel the effect of the saltwater on my wounds and clench my fists in pain. The once clear water around me turns red from the blood and I suddenly feel very weak._

"_Hey!" I hear. I spin around and my eyes widen in fear. The boy from District 11 stands 30 yards away, two knives in his hands. He grins mischievously and twirls the knives between his fingers. "It's over 5." _

_I know the cameras must be on me and I think of Courtney. She must be watching me, and I bet she is crying. Anger wells up inside of me. I will not bring her that much pain. _

_The boy sprints towards me and I stand up, prepared. He tries to throw one of his knives and I duck, throwing mine in his direction. I don't even have to look to know I hit him where I wanted to: his head. He falls to the ground and I can hear him pull the knife out of his skull. With his last ounce of life, he throws it at me, the knife sticking into my upper left arm. I pull it out and wince, ready for another attach. But one doesn't come. _

_His cannon fires and I black out._

**A/N I hope you liked it! Please review! **

**~Sophia**


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